Getting Ready for the Chill

Today is shopping day, so I hope you remembered to make your lists yesterday. I'm sorry I wasn't home to post. I had a hair appointment and ended up spending the rest of the afternoon hanging our Christmas lights outside. Believe it or not we've been having temperatures in the 60's...but after tomorrow, it's all 20's and 30's for highs! I really needed to get those outdoor lights hung so I wasn't stuck out there this weekend in my hat and gloves!

Due to the weather getting frosy, I wanted to remind you of a few things you may want to consider adding to your shopping lists.

1. Vaseline Intensive Care hand lotion. Seriously, this stuff is the best!! No joke! I'm talking NO cracks at all if you apply it every night and during the day when you're going in and out from warm to cold temperatures!

2. New furnace filters! This is something that if you don't know if you need them...ask someone who can tell you!! It will save you money on your heating, make your home healthier AND cleaner!!

3. And finally...I wanted to share with you my holiday spice recipe and encourage you to go out, buy the ingredients and make it for yourself. It's just not the Christmas season for me without this. My mom made it when I was a child and when my husband and I first were together I made sure to make it in our home. I made it last night with my 2 1/2 year old's help and as soon as my husband walked in the door, he knew Christmas had came to our Comfortable Home!

Holiday Spice ala Ms. Suzy

1 lemon rind
1 orange rind
1 box of cinnamon sticks
1 box of whole cloves
2 bay leaves

Put all ingredients in an open topped tea kettle (one that does NOT whistle) or an old saucepan.

Fill with water.

Bring to a boil then turn down to a slow simmer.

Enjoy the smell of the holidays!

If you're on a tight budget, these spices can be expensive. So, another idea is to put a 1/4 cup of sugar and a 1/4 cup of ground cinnamon on a pie plate and put on a back burner on low.

Please let me know if you have any other ideas on getting ready for the cold weather, or how you liked the holiday spice!

Thanksgiving Countdown: Weekend Recovery

Today is Monday and that means Weekend Recovery. For the list of additional chores go here, or here!

Because this is Thanksgiving week, I will be adding extra content everyday to help you get prepared for the holiday!

While you're washing your children's bedding, I always add to wash guest bedding if you had weekend visitors. This week, this chore is NOT optional. Even if you are not planning on an overnight visitor. Its the holidays, people drop by, and you never know when and if they may have that one glass of vino too many! Not only do I want you to wash sheets but wash up the comforter. AND, if you have a TV or phone in there, wipe down the remote and/or handset with and antibacterial wipe! You want to make that guest room cleanlier than a hotel room, dont you?

So, here is what Miss Suzy is doing today. I just put my turkey into the fridge to begin to thaw. If you haven't done that yet..than get to it! I am also going to be making my cranberry sauce because it's a recipe that needs to set for a couple of days to really meld together the great flavors. If you haven't thought of making your own cranberry sauce and always buy canned...please, try this recipe. It's super easy and will really WOW your guests!

Orange Cranberry Sauce
Serves 12 (with leftovers)

Ingredients:
4 cups fresh or frozen cranberries (1lb. bag)
1 cup water
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup orange juice

Rinse the cranberries in a strainer and remove any stems or blemished cranberries.

In a sauce pan bring the water, sugar and orange juice to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Boil for 5 minutes to ensure that the sugar is completely dissolved. Continue to stir occasionally.

Add the cranberries and bring back to a boil. Cover for 5 minutes, still stirring occasionally. When you hear the cranberries beginning to pop, remove the pan from the heat and allow to cool for 20 minutes. Pour the cranberries into a container and allow to continue to cool completely before refrigerating.

Before storing in fridge, lay a piece of plastic wrap on the surface of the cranberries to prevent them from developing a film.

I got the recipe from the Saving Dinner website last year when I was subscribed to their Menu Mailers. I have since not needed the Menu Mailers, but still plan to use the Thanksgiving Planner this year for my cranberries and for my dressing! If you are totally lost as to HOW to put together your Thanksgiving meal...I'd suggest printing this resource!

One last thing before I go. While I'm waiting on my cranberries to cool this afternoon. I am going to rearrange my living room furniture. Why? Because shortly after Thanksgiving we'll be buying our Christmas tree. And already having the furniture rearranged will be a huge timesaver that day, and will make it less stressful so we can concentrate on drinking cocoa, singing carols and putting the decorations on the tree!

Open House Winner!

During the Open House I mentioned the contest that would get one reader of this blog a guest post and a spot in the blogroll. The winner was Valerie and I do hope that you all go check out her blog and try this great recipe she's so sweetly chose to share with us! I'm making it tonight and will right up a review of it next Wednesday. Remember, if you try any of the recipes shared on this blog, please email me a review and it will be included on the following Wednesday's post. And, you'll be added as on of my "Neighbors" in the sidebar!

So without further ado, here is Valerie's Recipe for Chicken In The Pot:

I am so excited that I won this little contest! I am trying so hard to be the happy homemaker. It sure would be easier if I did not have to work full time too. Being as busy as I am on my days off one of my families favorite meals is Chicken in the pot.

I use 4 to 6 pieces of chicken whatever you like.
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can mushrooms or chop up some fresh ones
1 to 2 cloves of garlic to taste
1 med onion chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Throw it all in the crock pot on high for 4 to 5 hours or low for 8 hours
Serve over rice with a veggie for a quick and easy meal

Wednesday's Meal Planning

First of all, I missed yesterday's post due to illness. I'm still not at 100% today, but I'm here!

Wednesday's are one of the most important days in my house. It's the day that I plan the meals for the following week. I grocery shop on Thursdays, so I plan all of my meals from Friday-Thursday.

There are many recipe websites out there, but I almost always use Recipe Zaar.

Recipe Zaar is a great website that I highly encourage you check out. It's free, but you can upgrade to a premium membership for only $25 for an ENTIRE year! It's such a great deal! I use their "Shopping List" feature, which takes my meals that I've planned from that website and puts them onto a list, then I can add or delete any items I want, print it out, and voila! I'm ready to shop! It's one of the premium features, but HIGHLY recommended.

If you can't find what you're looking for on Recipe Zaar (which would shock me) just do a Google search and try your luck. Also, if you have a ton of cookbooks that you never open...that would be a great starting point too!

So take a few minutes to sit down and think about what you've been feeding your family. If you have a ton of favorites that's great! But don't feed those same dishes to them every single week! Try some new things!! At least one new recipe/week is a great start! At my house, we eat something new almost every night of the week. Only about once/month will we have a repeat recipe.

Also, today while you're making out that grocery list(dont forget lunch and snack items!) make out a list of any other errands you need to run tomorrow. Getting all of this done today, makes errand day run so much smoother!

To get you started, here is a great recipe! I encourage everyone to try it this week and email me your reviews! (You'll find that address listed under "Doorbell" in the sidebar) I will post the reviews next Wednesday so that others who did not try the dish can see what everyone else thought. Also, remember to send in any of your recipe ideas!! They may be featured in upcoming weeks!

Chicken Divan

A great recipe that is quick to make, and is really enjoyed by my husband!

Enjoy!
Ms. Suzy

Weekend Recovery

Good Monday Morning! Well... the Open House did not turn out as expected, but that's okay!! I have selected a "winner" and will contact them through email about writing a guest post!

My weekend was very hectic! Saturday was my husband's birthday, but before I could focus on that, I had to take my son to a friend's birthday party. It was a Dora Adventure for a group of about ten 3 year olds. Very fun, but even more exhausting!! We finally returned home around 4 and I was all set to make my husband's favorite meal for his birthday dinner. Only to find out that 2 of my 3 step kids were coming for the night and that set a whole new set of chaos my way! I did not have enough to feed them! So, although I was upset,I changed the menu , and it ended up turning out alright! My husband had something else that he loves and was able to open his presents and relax.

How was your weekend?

Now let me give you a quick rundown of our weekend recovery so you can get moving on that!! Believe me, once it's done, you will be completely relieved!

1. Read the "Chore List" on the sidebar. Write it down so you don't forget anything and get moving on that. Remember that the chore list is an ongoing list for the whole day. As you see things around your house that need attention (a splash of a spilled drink on the table, a dirty snack bowl, lint on the floor...) tend to it right away, that's the key to keeping your home comfortable!

2. If you haven't started laundry yet. DO IT NOW!! That always seems to be my pitfall at the end of the weekend. I'm way behind on the laundry. It's chore numero uno today!

3. Take some all-purpose cleaner and spray down all of the surfaces in your bathroom(s) and wipe them down. Just a quick wipe will get things looking great!

4. Vacuum. Again, just a quick sweep with the vacuum will get your house feeling extra comfortable this morning! You should only have to do this quick vacuum once/week. Don't get super stressed about it because on Friday we will do a more thorough run of it. Throughout the week, don't pull your vacuum out every day. If there's a big thread or piece of lint, just pick it up. Save that vacuum in case of a major mess!

5. Take all your small rugs outside and give them a quick shake. Dont vacuum or wash!

6. Sweep up all debris from linoleum or tile floors. Do a thorough sweep. During the remainder of the week just "spot sweep".

7. Wash your children's bedding. Wash any bedding used by guests over the weekend.

8. One final thing and we're done! If you pulled out any games, puzzles or projects over the down time of the weekend. Get all of those things put back in their proper places. That way nothing will be lost or messed up and they'll be waiting for you the next chance you get!

Please, please don't get overwhelmed! I know that this is alot and I dont expect you to do it all just starting out. Please take your time and if you need any encouragment, email me. You'll find my email address listed in the sidebar under "Doorbell".

How much did you get accomplished today?

It's Party Time!

This is the Open House event I've been building up to! First of all, WELCOME! I have been planning this project for awhile now and I am so excited it is up and running.

A huge thanks to Daisy Mae for making me such a great home! She's such a fun designer and is so sweet you could just eat her up!

So, lets get this party started! Let me show you to the snack table first!

I have made up a delicious Hot Crab and Jalapeno Dip for a spicy treat. If you're more in the mood for something sweet, how about you try some Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Dip? And to drink...oh honey let me pour you a nice Dirty Vodka Martini! Oh! You prefer something, not so hard? How about some Champagne Punch?

Alright, now that we've gotten the refreshments out of the way let me tell you about the first ever "Comfortable Home Contest!" I am going to be choosing a guest blogger! Your blog entry will be posted on a Tuesday and you can write about whatever you want concerning your home. Whether you have an amazing recipe to try, a great craft idea, a cleaning tip or even a HORROR story!! The floor is yours! (Just wipe it up when you're done!)

I'll be selecting the "winner" of the contest through comments. So make sure every time you visit you leave a comment, and then you MUST go to the person's blog who commented before you and leave them a comment. (Please make sure to tell that person that you came from Ms. Suzy's). How I'll select the winning is not going to be disclosed. I could make it the 25th commenter, it could be the most frequent commenter. It could even be the the most origional commenter. Who knows! So, keep on your toes and keep those comments coming!

ALSO! You DO get brownie points if you tell all of your blogging friends about my new site via a web post during the Open House. If they come here and leave comments telling ME that YOU sent them...well hey, that's sure an easy way to get on my good side!

Needless to say, if you do win this contest you'll get listed under Neighbors on the sidebar.


Speaking of neighbors, if you want listed on this blog. I suggest you start sending me emails. Email me ideas and stories and recipes!! For every one that I choose to include in one of my posts, not only will that person get credit for the idea...but they will also be added to the sidebar. Cool huh? If this site ends up being as popular as I forsee it becoming, could you imagine the traffic you'd get!?

So, I leave you to your partying! I will pop in from time to time to say hello. I truly hope you'll enjoy this site. And keep coming back. The Open House will last through the weekend, Monday, the regular posting will begin. I will email the winner of the contest and their post will be put up on the following Tuesday after it's submitted.

Everyone have a ball!! I am so excited you're here!

Cheers!
Ms. Suzy